She Thinks She Needs Him
by pdljmpr6
Summary: Five times Ronon saved Jennifer and one time she returned the favor. Gotta love some R/K action.


A/N: Been a freakin' long time, huh folks? Yeah. I have this nasty habit of becoming obsessed with a show, watching every episode I can find, reading all the (good) fanfiction I can find, writing some of my own and, in the off season (or when the show gets cancelled, as the case may be) I move on and start the whole process with a new show. Well, so that's what happened. In my absense I've gone through an NCIS, Psych and am in the midst of a Star Trek 2009 and moving into a Eureka obsession. Lol. All in a days writing. :P anyway, somebody PMed me recently and reminded me of how much i used to enjoy this fandom and, more specifically, this pairing. And I've been enjoying reading a lot of '5 times' pieces in the ST09 fandom, so, when this idea hit me, I just had to run with it. Enjoy!

**Five Times Ronon saved Keller and One Time She Returned the Favor**

**Part One – Jenifer the Jinx Strikes Again**.

Ronon would never know for sure how it happened. One minute they'd been walking along a well worn trail, forest on one side, bank of a river on the other, and the next he was diving into the icy waters to rescue the CMO of Atlantis who, somehow, in her infinite foresight and 'Midwest' upbringing had never learned how to swim.

He reached her relatively quickly and wrapped one arm around her floundering torso to drag her back on shore, the steady current only pulling them slightly off course. She'd sputtered and coughed for a moment, muttered something about a 'wet cat' and in the background he could hear Sheppard and the others running back toward them, curses and shouting hanging in the air between them. He'd checked her breathing, teased her in the soft, rumbling way he sometimes did because her laughter made it easier for him to breathe.

But it took him weeks to get his heart rate back down to normal and to rid his dreams (nightmares) of the sight of her panic-stricken face and the 'what ifs' and 'could have beens' that plagued him.

**Part Two – If Food is Love, What Does that Make This?**

She has a habit of getting lost in her work. He knows that. He's acutely observant, a skill he was not born with, but has honed over the years out of necessity, and he recognizes the signs.

He narrows his eyes minutely as she gives him the required post-mission physical. Not because it hurts when she probes the open wound in his side, although it does, but because he can tell by the pallor of her skin and the way her hands tremble just slightly, that it's been too long since she's eaten.

So he sits quietly as she stitches him up and waits until she's finished all the 'required' CMO stuff, making up lame excuses to hang around that the easily intimidated medical staff does not think to question.

When she realizes he's still there she raises an eyebrow of righteous protest, but the slight quirk of the corner of her mouth tells him she's already conceded to his request (demand). She stalls just long enough to let him know she's in control (even if neither of them quite believe it) and then hands off the papers and reports to Marie and heads toward the door.

Without a word, he follows, and the silence remains between them as they walk the halls, enter the Mess and load their trays with food. She doesn't say anything when he puts a double helping of fruit and meat on her plate, but knows she will end up sliding some of it over to his later. Then he leads the way out onto the balcony to a small corner table that he has come to think of as 'theirs'. They sit and eat, sometimes talking, sometimes not, watching the city bustle around them, until she's finished eating and they both feel a little bit better about going back to work.

**Part Three – Satedan Wing Man **

Jenifer doesn't get out much. Not for lack of trying or even for lack of want. She's just busy is all. She's CMO for crying out loud. Responsible for the health and safety of an expedition of nearly a hundred people (made up mostly of men who get their rocks off by beating the snot out of aliens while on duty and out of each other while off) and countless more who populate the various planets of the galaxy who can (and usually do) call on her expertise at any moment.

That doesn't leave a lot of time for drinks and partying. But leave it to Laura Cadman to take it upon herself to shift the paradigm.

Of course, in the course of getting Jennifer 'out' and 'showing her a good time' the doctor's 'best friend' had mysteriously disappeared, leaving Jennifer with a half-full bottle of Bud Classic and a half a mind to get out while the getting's good.

Unfortunately, all thoughts of escape are shattered at the sight of a cocksure new recruit, dressed in fatigues that look a little worse for wear (orientation must have been hell that day) and a hazy smile that looks a little better for the beer, confidently settles himself down beside her. She smiles politely as he tries, in a drunken stupor, some of his best lines (which are really not that good) on her and without even a modicum of success. She gives him the polite brush off that had gotten her through college and then the slightly more direct but still ultimately friendly one that got her through med school, but the guy was either really determined (possible) or really drunk (more likely) because nothing seemed to work.

Finally, just when she thought she couldn't get any more uncomfortable or direct, and was considering rescinding her Hippocratic Oath in order to murder Cadman with a clean conscience, another shadow descended upon her. This one she recognized.

One look from Ronon and a possessive arm around her shoulders and the recruit was out of sight, out of mind. Jennifer looked up at him and smiled her thanks, offering to buy him another drink to show she really meant it. He took the invitation for what it was and sat down beside her. And suddenly, Jennifer's evening was looking up.

**Part Four – An Ode to Eight Legged Freaks**

Ronon, contrary to popular opinion, was not born without the fear gene. He gets scared just like anybody else.

Well, maybe not _anybody. _

Ronon is afraid of things like being strapped down to operating tables or losing everyone he loves and being alone again. He doesn't talk about his fears much, but they're there. Earthlings can't stop talking about their fears and he'd be damned if they weren't terrified of the stupidest things.

Carson's afraid of going through the gate, Sheppard's afraid of speaking in front of crowds (makes orientation time interesting), Lorne is afraid of _Rollics_ which apparently resemble something called a Chihuahua and Rodney…well Rodney's afraid of almost everything. And then there's Jennifer, the young, bright CMO who is unequivocally, irrevocably and completely out-of-her-mind deathly afraid of spiders.

Ronon knows this because the one time he can remember being off-world with Jennifer (and the rest of SGA1 plus another security team) when something didn't go horribly wrong…it almost did. It had been nearing dusk and they were setting up camp for the night, when a shrill, terrified female scream rang out through the air. Everyone's hands immediately flew to their weapons and began shouting to one another and into their respective radios, trying to figure out what was going on.

Ronon was the first to find Jennifer, huddled in a corner of her tent, facing off with a _Cluerse _spider. She was visibly trembling, her eyes glued to the relatively large insect and she didn't even attempt to move toward him when he asked her to.

He kept the smile off his lips with admirable effort and reached out to scoop up the offending creature and safely removed it from the tent. A few moments later Jennifer emerged, all embarrassment (her cheeks flush the cutest shade of pink) and apologies (she _did_ almost give them a huge collective heart attack, after all) and gratitude (he defines 'hero' if you asked her) before returning to the task of setting everything up for the night, one eye sharply scanning for anymore 'moving dirt'.

Rodney is the only one to notice Ronon didn't get rid of the spider, and makes a face at the bug pinched between dark, slender fingers, asking if it's poisonous.

Ronon cocks an eyebrow at him and, with an amused and mischievous glint in his eye (that always means trouble) pops the now limp insect into his mouth, and chews happily.

Rodney blanches and his eyes widen, horrified. Ronon feigns innocence and tries, unsuccessfully, to convince the scientist that it does, in fact, taste like chicken.

**Part Five- Of All the Planets in the Galaxy…**

Sheppard can't believe it when Lorne's distressed but commanding voice sounds over the radio at 16:40 AST on a Saturday.

She was only off-world for an hour! With an entire team of Marines at her disposal. What could she have possibly gotten into in that amount of time?

He shakes the thoughts from his head and decides it doesn't really matter. She has. Whether it be wraith, or angry natives, or incredibly beautiful but ultimately deadly flowers, it doesn't matter. If it's trouble, it will be found. And if Jennifer Keller is within 50 light-years of the thing, she will be the one doing the finding.

Sheppard turns to tell Ronon that their sparring will have to be cut short for the day and to go suit up, but the man has already made his way across the room and out the door. He runs after the big man and spots him inside the transporter at the end of the hall.

His hand is on his blaster and the look on his face sends shivers down the Colonel's spine that he hopes do not show.

**Part Six - And The One Time She Returned The Favor**

Ronon lets his eyes fall shut and forces a breath of fresh air into his lungs. His chest burns with the effort, but he ignores it, along with the pounding in his head and the twinge of unease in his stomach. He sits, silently and still, waiting for the episode to pass. He knows it will, just like it has all the other times before. The cold sheen of sweat on his skin would dry, sleep would return, shallow and far from restful, but it would return all the same. His muscles would relax and his breathing would even out.

It would all be alright. He believes that. He has to.

Sometimes that knowledge (belief) is what gets him through long nights like these. At least, that's what used to get him through.

The body beside him rolls over (she prefers his bed to her own) and unceremoniously Jennifer pushed messy blonde hair out of her face. He hears her say his name, but his voice hasn't yet returned, so he remains unmoving, hoping she will go back to sleep.

He should know better.

His lack of answer seems to wake her more and she slowly sits up, the bedfurs shifting and falling to pool around her waist as she cranes her neck to see him better, the light from the moon flooding in through open windows along with a soft ocean breeze and illuminating his figure beside her.

He wishes to close off the too-familiar darkness bubbling up in his chest that is haunting his sleep tonight, he has no doubt that it is showing on his face, but can't seem to summon the strength. And he isn't sure what Jennifer sees when she looks at him, but she gasps a little bit and he could swear he sees tears in her eyes before she turns away, reaching for the light on the table.

She stops at the sound of his voice. It isn't so much a word as an unintelligible grunt, but she understands it all the same. He prefers the dark right now. Prefers the shelter it provides from things the light of day refuses to allow to hide. His jaw hurts and he realizes he is grinding his teeth, every muscle in his body aches from tension and he forces another breath into his chest.

Suddenly his eyes whip open (he doesn't remember closing them) and he feels her warm hands on his, her hot breath on his ear. He can't hear what she's saying, the blood rushing through his ears won't allow him this much, but he can feel her skin against his back and suddenly breathing is a little bit easier. She squeezes his hand and, after a moment, he finds himself squeezing back. He gasps for air again and this time her chest rises in time with his, showing him the way. He lets his head fall back and rest against her shoulder, wondering when she moved behind him, and can feel the tension leaving his body in waves, the darkness being pushed back into a manageable corner where he keeps the things he can't change and the memories he can't forget.

She's still whispering to him, and he thinks maybe he's starting to understand what she's saying. As his eyes grow heavy and his breathing slows down he thinks maybe sleep won't be so impossible tonight.

And he wonders if she'll ever realize that she's so much stronger than he is.

END


End file.
